Snow Day Blues
by mjws1968
Summary: This starts during CSI:New York season 3 episode Snow Day, where Adam and Danny are held hostage and the lab is overrun by terrorists wanting their drugs back. There is a flashback, but events start when the pair are rescued by NYPD. Adam/Don slash.
1. Cause

Name: Snow Day Blues

Fandom: CSI:New York.

Pairing: Adam Ross/Don Flack

Rating: M

Warnings: Slash, mention of past rape.

Summary: Adam Ross is consoled by his lover Don Flack after the events of Snow Day, and their relationship finally becomes known to their colleagues - with unexpected consequences.

Disclaimer: All characters within this story do not belong to me, they are owned by CBS Paramount Television and writers.

Don Flack stares in shock at Adam Ross, totally amazed at the sight of his soul-mate standing there in front of the two police officers who are gagged and dressed as terrorists. Even though armed patrolmen are about to start shooting, the lab technician continues to shield the helpless pair from harm, giving absolutely no thought for his own safety. Don's chest swells with pride at just how brave and sexy his lover looks at that moment, all angry and protective of the two cops.

Don then looks at his beloved more closely, sees the scarred hands, the blood, the bruising, the look of pain and fear in those soulful eyes. His heart melts, his breath catches in his throat and he crosses the distance between them in an instant.

Don grabs Adam firmly by his blood-stained shirt collar, and then pulls his traumatized partner to a secluded location in the death-scented room. Don pushes Adam against a damp wall and then kisses him slowly and softly, stroking Adam's heaving chest gently with both hands. He feels Adam respond to his tender caresses with a soft but heartfelt moan. Don takes Adam's damaged hands into his own and glances at those angry-looking burns. Don quickly suppresses the pity that wells up within him, as he knows that Adam does not handle that particular emotion well. Don runs urgent but gentle hands all over his lover's body, checking for broken bones and serious injuries, but apart from the cuts and bruises, the obvious signs of dehydration and those hands, oh god those sweet hands, finds no major physical trauma.

Adam starts to tremble as the adrenaline wears off and shock finally begins to kick in. Don peers at him, sees the agony and suffering in those twin windows into the younger man's soul and pulls Adam into a firm but tender embrace that seems to last for an eternity.

Finally, Don trusts himself to speak calmly. "I'm so proud of you for saving those two cops from being killed, my big brave hero. I want to revive and then kill again the motherfuckers that did this to you, then I really want to smack Mac around for leaving you here with not enough backup or protection in the first place."

"Don," Adam whispers. Flack gently places a finger on his beloved's lips. "Hospital now, declarations of undying love and extremely messy and passionate sex later."

Adam smiles involuntarily at his lover. "You always know what to say to make a boy feel special."

"You can add a lengthy session of spanking to that scenario," grins a deeply relieved Flack. He recognizes that if Adam is able to make a joke even in the depths of his pain and misery, then Don can help him work through this traumatic experience with some good old-fashioned tender loving care.

"Hey bitch, it's my turn to do the spanking this week," Adam whines in complaint.

Don kisses his life partner more firmly, crushes those dry damaged lips against his own moist ones, and tries to restore Adam's depleted life energy by actively willing him some of his own. Adam carefully runs his damaged hands through Don's luxuriant dark hair that the lab technician can just never leave alone. The two of them are then brought back to harsh reality by a stunned gasp.

They look up to see CSI Danny Messer and his girlfriend CSI Lindsay Monroe staring at them, looks of total shock upon their faces. Another unreadable expression then distorts the features of a deeply confused Danny.

Don suddenly feels dizzy and releases his lover, leaving Adam to sink slowly to the ground in a state of total exhaustion and despair.

"How long," says Lindsay in a far too quiet voice, "has this sick perversion been going on?"

"Six months," Don replies, equally subdued in tone and also wary of a nearby Danny's notoriously explosive temper.

Danny blinks in surprise, and then breaks his silence at last. "Do you love each other?" he asks with some anxiety, really not sure whether he wants to hear the answer to that question.

Adam finally finds the strength to speak. "This isn't some sordid fling, Messer. We have exchanged vows that we will never wake up apart from each other ever again, will never look for love elsewhere."

Don's hand gently squeezes Adam's shoulder. "We're life partners, soul-mates, long-term lovers, whatever big words you want to use, but we're a couple, and nothing and nobody will ever come between us."

"We can talk about this later," Lindsay almost spits out. "Adam and Danny need to go to the hospital to get checked out and you need to get to the lab and rescue the rest of our team."

Adam quietly explains to Don about the stolen lab pass and entry codes, and a worried look comes over the older man's face.

"Go," a fatigued Adam whispers. "These gorgeous muscled paramedics can take good care of me, and then you can spend hours staring into my lovely eyes later."

"Make that two spanking sessions," Don smirks at his lover, secretly thrilled by what he is hearing. He now knows for certain that Adam will be absolutely fine. Their relationship with Don's oldest and closest friend and his outraged girlfriend, well, that is possibly damaged beyond repair. Don pulls Adam into his arms for a brief chaste hug and then runs out the door.

"Superman to the rescue," Adam quips, "although Don would look so much better in some figure-hugging blue spandex."

The weak joke is met by a stony silence. "We need to get going," Lindsay whispers, her face cold and emotionless.

The journey to the nearest hospital goes by in a blur. Fortunately for Adam, they travel in separate ambulances and he doesn't have to face the hostility of his colleagues in his weakened state.

An exhausted and drugged Adam vaguely senses that he is being gently laid down upon a soft welcoming surface, and then he feels himself being prodded and examined. He registers the sharp prick of needles being stuck into various parts of his body. He winces at the sting of the antiseptic, but this is soon alleviated by the soothing and cooling dampness of salve on his burns. The removal of his acute pain lulls him into a peaceful sleep. When Adam regains consciousness, he sees that darkness has fallen, and that an extremely welcome and familiar large hand is stroking his arm.

He looks up and sees Don, exhaustion evident on his rugged masculine face, touching his lover in the only place that feels good right now.

Adam clears his throat, which is still a little dry, even after hours of rehydration. He is aware of the drip in his other arm, but apart from that Adam feels comfortably numb.

"So what happened?" Adam asks his lover.

Don jumps in surprise, lost in his own thoughts. He softly tells Adam everything that has occurred at the lab.

"Mac did WHAT?" Adam gasps.

"You heard me," grins a highly amused Don, "and it means you get a few weeks off until the rebuilding is complete."

"What will I find to do with all that free time?"Adam ponders in mock seriousness, secretly hoping for one particular answer from his beloved.

Don, as ever, knows exactly the right thing to say to his lover."I'll find many fun and wicked things to do to keep you busy," he leers, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

Adam shivers in pleasure and anticipation, but then frowns as he considers their current situation. "What about our other problem?" he asks, a worried tone apparent in his voice.

"Baby," Don whispers softly and passionately, and Adam's pulse quickens as usual at the term of endearment, "they were bound to find out about us sooner or later. I could never be ashamed of the love we have for each other. If they cannot accept us for who we are then there are other cities and other crime labs."

"But this is our home," Adam gasps, "we both belong here."

"My home is wherever you are, be it Miami or New York or Los Angeles. Without you laying there safe in my arms every night, there would be nothing there for me," Don vehemently iterates.

"I love you so much it hurts," breathes a overawed Adam, "but you are a New Yorker to the core, you would hate living anywhere else."

"Then we need to sort things out with the team," Don reasons. "Mac is away right now, but when he gets back we can all sit down and discuss this rationally."

Adam looks far from convinced. "I'm smelling those flying pigs even from this hospital bed," he chuckles.

"That young and handsome doctor tells me that you're well enough, so I could start the spanking now," Don growls.

"Has the rest of the team been in yet?" Adam tries to keep his voice calm, not wanting to show just how excited he is at the thought of Don doing THAT to him.

"They're processing the lab right now, but they'll be in first thing in the morning," Don reassures him.

"When can we go home?" Adam begs his lover.

"Tomorrow, baby," Don breathes softly in his ear.

"Then what are you doing sitting out there still?" Adam pouts. "Get in here right now and give a boy some emotional support."

Don doesn't need asking twice. He removes his jacket and shoes and climbs under the covers, pulling his fragile lover against him. Don wraps his warm body around Adam, wanting to keep the world and its problems away from his reason for living for at least a few hours.

Adam moans contentedly, leans his head against Don's broad welcoming shoulder and almost immediately falls asleep. Don looks at his sleeping lover, astonished at how lucky he is to have such a beautiful and kind person in his life, loving Adam totally and unconditionally for not possessing the arrogance to even once remind him of it.

Don thinks back to that fateful day two months ago when he had taken a bullet in the shoulder during an attempted robbery. Adam had been the one to hold him tightly in a bed identical to this one on that occasion, and Don marvelled at the utter pleasure in having someone you trusted implicitly take charge and do all the thinking for you. Lulled by his beloved's soft breathing, Don soon loses consciousness as well.

A curly-haired woman with a kind and compassionate face sticks her head round the door, takes one look at the sleeping pair and grins broadly before quietly leaving. CSI Stella Bonasera smiles at the confirmation of what she has suspected for months now, smirks at the thought that her world-famous intuition that has solved hundreds of cases is not in fact faulty, and sighs softly as she realizes that two of the men she loves most in the world will have a tough time ahead of them. She knows that they can take comfort in having her at least to watch their backs.

Don is woken by daylight streaming through a nearby window, and looks down at his sleeping beauty.

His thoughts turned to the day over six months ago when they had become a single entity, the day that seemed like a lifetime away.

He had heard the rumours about Adam and his abusive father in the lab, but had ignored them, as he never placed any faith in idle gossip. He was therefore absolutely stunned to see Adam Ross sitting in the front row of the Survivors of Familial Abuse Support Group.

Don's pushy sister Samantha had forced him to go there because the memories of the violence frequently inflicted upon a younger Don by his permanently drunk and now deceased father haunted him. The man had been a hero to the outside world, but not to his own family. When Samantha had suggested going to this group, Don had been appalled at the thought of airing his family's dirty laundry in public. But Don was totally unable to let anybody else get emotionally close to him, and he had silently acknowledged that being as he wasn't going to waste money on a fancy shrink, this was his only option.

He got up and almost left the room when he saw Adam sitting there, but the fact that everybody else there seemed to know and like Adam was if anything a comfort.

Don sat down at the back next to the door. He knew that he had to go through with this, or else Samantha would soon be wearing an unique pair of earrings made from his favourite body parts.

One by one the group members stood up, told their stories, got an encouraging round of applause and then sat down again. Soon it was Adam's turn, and the young man got to his feet, looked calmly at his large audience, and then recited the long and shocking tale of his early life growing up in Phoenix.

Don Flack was absolutely hypnotized by Adam's skilled performance. This Adam was totally devoid of any shyness, was so different from the almost invisible young man he knew from the lab. Adam recounted his story in a clear voice until he spotted the familiar face in the back row. He suddenly paused for a few seconds, and a look of panic appeared on his face. Adam then pulled himself together, finished his tale of horror and then sat down to a rapturous round of applause.

Don was stunned by what he had heard, a tragic story of years of rape, incest and other forms of physical and mental abuse. He resisted an irrational urge to kill a man he'd never even met, and then looked at Adam with utter respect and admiration. Adam was a strong and brave young man who had overcome a long and painful ordeal to become one of the best lab technicians in the country.

Don had experienced the stirring of a desire that had remained dormant in him for years. The bedding of a constant stream of lovely young women had been fun, but Don had never really let any of them get close to him. The girls were there one night and gone the next, and it had meant nothing to him. Donald Flack Senior had come home early from work one night and had caught a teenaged Don in bed with his one and only boyfriend. The older man had beaten seven shades of crap out of his son, and any desire for his own sex that Don may have felt was violently suppressed.

When Don had looked at Adam, those long forgotten feelings came flooding back, and he had felt lost and totally bewildered by this unwelcome renaissance.

Finally, it was his own turn to humiliate himself in public, and Don managed to sheepishly rise to his feet. Don quietly mumbled his story to the room, and then sank back down into his seat, blushing with embarrassment during the earnest round of applause he had received.

Don went into a world of his own during the half-hour discussion that ended the session. His thoughts were initially confused and incoherent. He couldn't possibly desire Adam, could he? Don suddenly experienced a rare moment of total clarity of thought. He realized that it was more than possible, and for several good reasons. Here was a man who would completely understand about his warped family, who would never judge him, and more to the point seemed to be staring straight at him with a hungry look that he was almost positive was mirrored on his own face.

Don came out of his daze, noticed that they were the only two left in the room, and stood up suddenly. Adam rose to his feet and looked at him with a quizzical expression on his face. Don surged forward before he had time to change his mind, took Adam by the arm, and wordlessly led him out of the door, straight into the sports bar across the street. They really needed to talk.

They ordered beers, and stared at the floor, at the TV screens, anywhere but into each others eyes, until Don found the courage to speak.

"Why that meeting?" he asked his young colleague.

"It's far enough from my apartment to make sure that I don't run into anybody I know," replied a suddenly bashful Adam. "What made you come here?" he tentatively asked Don.

"My sister threatened to castrate or kill me if I didn't," replied an equally reticent Flack.

Adam nodded in tacit understanding, and the awkward silence returned, stretching out for what seemed like forever until Adam suddenly uttered the words that Don was longing to hear in a voice so quiet that Don had to strain to understand it.

"I want you, you know. I've fancied the ass off you since the moment Danny introduced us. I've had dreams, erotic fantasies about you taking me in your arms and then just taking me. I keep it under control in the lab, make the odd joke and try to get through the day by staying quiet and invisible. I have plenty of practice of doing that with my charming family. Outside the lab I can be myself, be more confident, go for what I really want."

"And you want me?" whispered a stunned Don.

"Hell yes, it always has been you, but I wasn't sure you felt the same way," breathed an anxious Adam.

Don grabbed Adam's hand, pulled it under the table and rubbed it against his obvious and urgent desire. He was virtually bursting out of his pants just at the thought of making passionate love to the young man sitting opposite him, and stared with a deep longing into the eyes of the extremely attractive lab technician.

It took them ten minutes to make their way back to Flack's nearby apartment, roughly another fifteen minutes for the initial sating of those burning desires, and about three weeks before Adam gave up his fleapit of an apartment to share his lover's more pristine residence.

Six months have passed since that first night, and it feels like they have always been together. They have an amazing level of unspoken mutual understanding, and feel a physical emptiness inside when they're not together. Don is not soppy by nature, but goes weak at the knees every time Adam gives him that almost hypnotic look, and would do anything, even kill, to make his baby happy.

Adam in turn is the most confident that he has ever been, is even starting to become less invisible in the lab, and seems unable to ever stop smiling. He feels complete for the first time in his life.

And then Danny and Lindsay catch them in the act, and things become a lot more complicated.


	2. Effect

Name: Snow Day Blues.

Fandom: CSI: New York.

Pairing: Adam Ross/Don Flack.

Rating: M.

Warnings: Slash and mention of past rape.

Summary: Adam Ross is consoled by his lover Don Flack after the events of Snow Day, and their relationship finally becomes known to their colleagues - with unexpected consequences

Disclaimer: All characters within this story do not belong to me, they are owned by CBS Paramount Television and writers.

The sound of many birds singing merrily wakes a highly irritable Don Flack from a peaceful sleep, still comfortably wrapped around his dormant lover.

Those annoying little bastards, he mentally curses, resisting a burning urge to take his firearm out of the top drawer and then to take pleasure in doing the job that the hundreds of cats in the leafy neighborhood have obviously utterly neglected.

Don looks into the angelic face of his sleeping beloved, and prays fervently that Adam is not woken by the dawn chorus. He knows instinctively that when that happens, they will have to shower and dress, and that they would then have to leave their cocoon and face the big bad world at long last.

Adam turns over, sighs in dreamy contentment, but remains blissfully unaware of both Don's tender scrutiny and the cacophony coming through the open window.

The last three weeks have been the happiest time either man has ever known. Don still had to do his shifts at the precinct, but it didn't bother him at all. He passed the busy hours at work knowing that Adam was waiting in eager anticipation for his return, and that when he got home, Adam would fling himself into his lover's arms and kiss him till Don almost blacked out from lack of oxygen. There would inevitably follow a briefly snatched meal, and then a night of noisy and passionate sex. Don usually left for work the next day tired as hell and covered in bruises and scratches, but at the same time glowing with happiness and contentment. His precinct buddies had noticed the dramatic change in their friend over the last few months and had also laughed at the numerous hickeys on his exposed flesh. For a change they didn't tease their colleague about his love life. They sensed that he had found true happiness with somebody, and didn't need to know the gory details.

It had been like a honeymoon for the blissful pair, as neither one of them had gone anywhere near the lab during the last three weeks. However, they both realized that it was a period of tranquil and calm before the arrival of the looming storm.

Don comes out of his contemplative state to become aware of a pair of utterly sexy eyes staring right at him.

"Morning sweetheart," Adam mumbles sleepily. "You're not thinking about shooting those poor birds again by any chance, are you? They're only doing what comes naturally to them."

Don smiles at his lover sheepishly. How on earth does Adam instinctively know what the older man is thinking? Are they so in tune with each other that speech will eventually become redundant?

"Actually, I was thinking how sexy you look when you are sleeping, honey. I want to keep you as my prisoner here forever, to shut out the cold cruel world and live together in utter bliss," Dom replies with some passion.

"Nice idea baby," Adam ponders, "but I would have to go out and sell my body to pay for our extravagant lifestyle, and I know for a fact that neither one of us wants that to happen."

"It's not too late for me to show you what a bad boy you are," Don growls. "Those ping-pong bats are in the bottom drawer, and I'm not afraid to use them."

"Much as I would really like that to happen, my love, we really need to get ready for work," Adam whispers. "You can use them on me tonight to help me forget about the fact that we will have lost all our friends at the lab."

Don's breath catches in his throat. He sees the sudden tears in Adam's eyes, feels a similar wetness on his own cheeks, and pulls Adam into a fiercely protective embrace.

"It might not be that bad my love," Don softly croons, hoping to reassure his distraught partner and in a strange way calm his own fears.

Adam shakes himself out of his reverie and looks at his reason for living, his love for Don shining in his eyes. "Thanks for that my darling. As Doris Day would say, que sera, sera. Now, I need a shower really badly, and I also need a big stud of a man to hold the soap for me. Any volunteers?"

Don stares with unabashed respect and love at his other half, yet again astonished by the younger man's resilience. A childish grin appears on Don's face, and he raises his hand in the air. "Pick me, pick me," he begs.

"Like I'd shower with anybody else," Adam snorts. "Now get in there, and get naked."

Don playfully slaps Adam's perfect ass, and the two men disappear into their massive shower room.

The sound of running water fills the bedroom for several minutes. It is soon joined by several passionate groans and the noise of soft flesh being forced repeatedly against door glass. Suddenly, the sharp sound of a hand hitting firm flesh with considerable force echoes through the apartment and out the open window. The birds in the trees outside take flight in alarm. A gruff New York voice yells, "Ouch, you bitch!" and another softer, gentler voice bursts into peals of helpless laughter.

Ninety minutes later the newly pristine pair are standing in the street in front of the shiny new lab building, looking at each other in nervous apprehension.

"Into the valley of Death rode the six hundred," Don quips, trying hard to relieve his lover's palpable tension.

Adam looks at him in awe. "Who knew you'd ever read anything as heavy as Tennyson?" he smiles. Adam then grimaces. "Right now, the moral support of the other five hundred and ninety-eight would be greatly appreciated," he whispers.

"Baby," Don breathes, and Adam leans his forehead against that of his equally nervous partner, trying to still the trembling in both men.

"Get a room, you freaks!" a shrill female voice cuts through the air. They look up to see Lindsay and Danny standing twenty feet away from them, a look of disgust on the woman's face, and that same unfathomable look as before on the face of Don's best friend.

Don suddenly sees red, glares at the source of those hurtful words, and starts yelling. "Why don't you fuck off on your broomstick back to whatever hick town spawned you in that sheep-molesting state that you choose to call home!"

Adam urgently grabs his arm, "No, baby, she's not worth it," he gasps. Don doesn't even notice him. The hot anger blocks out all noise and all rational thought.

Danny closes the distance between them in an instant. "How dare you say such things to the woman I love!" he screams right into Don's face. "She has a perfect right to express her opinion, and you will shut up and take it if you don't want the crap kicked out of you!"

Don turns his attention to his now former best friend. "What the hell is wrong with you, Messer?" he shouts. "You don't have an intolerant bone in your body. You and me and Adam too, we've been through all kinds of shit in the past. Has this ball-breaking bitch got you so totally wrapped round her little finger that your judgement has gone dribbling out of your ass?"

Danny's eyes widen with rage. He takes a step back and aims a left hook squarely at the red face of his irate colleague.

Adam acts without thinking and interposes himself between the man he loves and the fist about to connect with Don's face.

Danny's punch hits Adam squarely in the left eye. The young lab technician rocks back on his heels and then slumps to the floor.

Don's rage subsides in an instant. He sinks to the ground, takes his fallen lover's head in his lap, and glares up at the source of the blow. If looks could kill, Danny would have spontaneously exploded on the spot. "Congratulations on helping Adam relive his happy childhood with his caring and supportive father," Don hisses at the stunned other man.

Danny drops to the floor next to Don, looks in total bewilderment at the prone lab technician, and shakes his head. Danny remembers the quiet conversation with Don in a crowded bar four months ago, remembers his admiration for Adam increasing tenfold when he is told about what the young man has been through. He tries to reach out to the prone lab techician, but stops and pulls back at the fiercely protective warning look from Don. "What the hell did that rat bastard think he was doing?" Danny whines.

Don gently strokes the face of his beloved and then glances at Danny. He decides that he owes the man an explanation because of their former friendship.

"Messer, if you truly love someone as much as Adam and I love each other, you don't hesitate to take a bullet for them, to stand in the path of danger for them, to give your life for them, because if you lose them, then your own life is not worth living." Don looks with palpable sadness at his friend. "If you don't have that with Lindsay, then your relationship is not as close as you think it is."

Lindsay stares at the scene before her, snorts and shakes her head in disgust, and walks through the doors into the lab building. Nobody even notices that she has gone.

Adam slowly begins to stir. He struggles at first in Don's grasp until he realizes that everything has calmed down.

Don lifts Adam to his feet and gives him a brief hug. "You big idiot," he softly whispers, "I love you so much right now, but never do that to me again, at least until you learn how to sidestep those nasty punches."

Don puts a tentative arm around the younger man, and guides him towards the main entrance. "Come on, my brave soldier, we need to get you down to Sid's lab so that we can get those war wounds dressed."

Danny looks at them as if hypnotised, a dozen different emotions passing rapidly over his face. He then looks round and notices that his girlfriend is no longer there, and rushes into the building in urgent need of her.

Adam looks into the eyes of his troubled partner. "I get a feeling you really don't like Lindsay," he postulates. "You're not jealous of her and Danny are you?"

"Not in the slightest," Don protests, "but every time I see her my Spidey sense starts tingling."

"Me too," Adam admits. "There is something rotten in the state of Denmark."

"Not Denmark dummy, Montana," Don grimaces.

"Get me away from that smart mouth!" Adam exclaims in amusement.

Don leads his lover slowly and gently through the main doors and into the elevator.

Don presses the down button and they fall together and kiss passionately, heedless of the security camera, both men in desperate need of the other's calming touch.

"Well," says a still groggy Adam, "that went well."

"She was always going to be the most difficult one to convince," Don replies. "It was just unfortunate that she was the first one we came across, and that we were being our usual demonstrative selves at the time."

The elevator door opens with a loud "ding" sound.

Adam looks at his beloved, smiles at him, and recites from memory, "Ask not for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee."

"Now who's playing at being the intellectual." Don smirks at his smart partner. "I'm really hoping that the worst is over."

"We can only hope so," an optimistic Adam breathes.

The two of them step apprehensively out of the elevator, hoping that a better future waits out there for the both of them.

As the pair walk into the autopsy lab, Sid takes one look at them, and reaches for his first aid kit in the top drawer. He pats his soft chair and pulls a reluctant Adam into it. He looks at the body language between his two friends and raises an eyebrow. He's had a long and eventful life, and knows the signs of a deep and powerful mutual love when he sees it.

Sid checks Adam's sore eye, and finds nothing seriously wrong with it. He cleans it, and then gives the nervous lab technician a couple of painkillers.

"Two questions," Sid speaks into the ether to nobody in particular. "How long have you two been an item, and which homophobic bastard gave you that black eye?"

"Seven months would be the answer to the first one," a deeply relieved Adam replies, "and Danny tried to punch Don when he called Lindsay a few bad names because of her rampant intolerance, and I got in the way."

"That macho act will be the death of Danny one day," Sid smiles, but then he takes a darker more sinister tone. "That little country girl lost in the big city act doesn't fool anybody with half a brain. That Lindsay is a nasty piece of work."

"So we're fine?" Don asks tentatively.

"What you choose to do during your own time is your own business," Sid reassures him, "but off the record, I'm glad the two of you have found true love. It restores my faith in humanity."

"Now go, I'm very busy," an overworked Sid growls. "By the way, Sheldon was looking for you earlier."

He puts a friendly arm around both men, and gently pushes them out the door.

The two lovers grin happily at each other, and go in search of Sheldon Hawkes.

They find him in the evidence lab examining a filthy pile of clothes, a bemused expression upon his face.

"So," Sheldon intones in that hypnotic voice of his, "would somebody please explain to me why twenty minutes ago four of my colleagues were having a major and very public disagreement in the street outside this lab building?"

"Adam and I ..." Don goes into his carefully prepared speech, but is silenced by Sheldon's hand on his shoulder.

"I know about THAT," Sheldon scoffs. "I'm neither blind nor stupid, and the two of you have been a couple for quite some time now. You always forget how adept I am at reading people, living or dead. What I want to know is the cause of your falling out with Danny and his cowgirl."

"She told us to get a room!" a petulant Adam replies. "We were just leaning on each other for moral support. Lindsay went ballistic at our loving behavior, and my Don lost his temper at her nasty words. Danny came rushing to her rescue on his white charger, and I was the accidental recipient of his famous left hook."

"Never liked her," Sheldon mutters, "too good to be true. That sweet smile hides a dark and troubled soul."

"Danny loves her though," Don retorts, "and we have to respect that."

"You two are so noble that it triggers my vomit reflex," Sheldon laughs.

"What about Danny?" Adam whispers.

"You have to clear the air with him," Hawkes advises. "He was sitting in the locker room looking very confused ten minutes ago. Maybe he just needs time to gather his thoughts and come to terms with your situation."

Sheldon pulls them both into a shy embrace, his pleasure at their happiness written all over his face, and then turns back to the pile of clothing he was examining when the came in.

The much happier couple leave the evidence lab, hand in hand, feeling a lot less unsure about the world around them, and go in search of Don's best friend.

They turn the corner and run into an irate Mac Taylor.

"My office, both of you, now!" he yells, and marches towards his lair, technicians scurrying to get out of his way.

"Round three," Don mutters.

"Oh boy," Adam sighs, putting his head against his lover's shoulder, receiving a reassuring pat on the arm in return.

They walk through the door into Mac's office, fully expecting to be fired, and are amazed to see Stella Bonasera sitting on the desk, a broad grin upon her face. Mac stands behind her with a face like thunder, but the more experienced Don can see the ghost of a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

Adam leans into Don, his perennial fear of authority figures, Mac especially, threatening to send him fleeing from the room in utter panic.

Stella looks at a nearly fainting Adam, and places a soft consoling hand on her favourite lab technician's arm. She rubs the limb a few times until his near-hysteria fades.

"Before either one of you says a word," she informs her boys, "I know everything about the pair of you, and I, for one, am absolutely delighted that you are together." She smirks wickedly. "Now comes the fun part where you need to explain the situation to Mr Happy standing behind me."

Mac pulls off the coup of actually outflanking and surprising Stella for once. "I am fully aware of Donald and Adam's sexual relationship Stella," he berates his best friend. "I was young myself back in the dim and distant past." He pauses for a moment, then carries on, a note of sadness apparent in his voice. "I know all about the joys of a true and passionate love for another, having had mine cruelly snatched away from me when those planes hit the towers."

The obvious pain Mac is feeling brings a lump to Don and Adam's throats and has Stella reaching for Mac to comfort and reassure him.

Mac shakes his head, pushing the painful memories out of his mind. "So, as long as you keep it out of the lab and don't let it compromise your work in any way, I give you my blessing," he informs the nervous younger men standing before him.

Adam and Don glance at each other in utter amusement. Coming out to their friends had been a lot easier than they had ever imagined it would be.

"Now, I heard about the fight outside," Mac informs his two employees, "but Lindsay was never the most tolerant and forgiving of individuals, and Danny has been behaving very strangely since they got together. You all get a free pass this time, but I need your assurances that it will never happen again."

"Thank you Mac, never again Mac," two deeply relieved individuals pipe up at exactly the same moment."

Stella gives Mac a delighted look. "It's the real thing, Taylor," she laughs.

"Seems so," a highly amused Mac replies, barely keeping himself from dissolving into hysterical laughter. "Now get out of here and make peace with Danny," he growls.

Don and Adam leave the office with foolish grins plastered across their faces. They go in search of the man that they need approval from more than anybody.

They open the door to the locker room with some trepidation, and see an atypically quiet Danny Messer sitting on the bench, head in his hands.

He looks at the anxious pair and smiles in reassurance. "I don't object to the two of you being lovers," he mutters. "In fact, the obvious utter happiness of my two friends means the world to me."

A note of anger creeps into his voice. "What does annoy me more than anything is that you pair of bastards didn't feel able to trust me enough for me to be the first one you told, which as Don's oldest and closest friend is my right. I know things have been a bit wierd since me and Montana got together, but in the last few months the three of us have gone out drinking together, have gone to sports games together. We're known as the Three Amigos in the lab, and I thought we were close enough friends to not keep such important secrets from each other," Danny whispers harshly.

"Sorry Danny," Adam responds, feeling guilty at how hurt Danny looks.

Don stares at Danny closely and uses his superior knowledge of the other man's body language to realise that something else is badly wrong.

"Are you OK Messer?" Flack asks in a quiet voice.

"Had a fight with the little woman," Danny says, "and she's kicked me out until I see the light." Don and Adam both fail to spot the look of pain and despair that flashes briefly over Danny's face.

The two lovers exchange a long look, and a whole conversation passes between them during that one glance.

"Thats it, big boy," Don growls. "You're coming to stay in our spare room until things get better, and we won't take no for an answer."

"You're sure?" Danny asks.

"Of course," Adam reassures him, and then smirks, "as long as you keep the place clean and do a share of the cooking."

Tears come unbidden into Danny's eyes. "I love you guys so much," he almost sobs, "and you getting together is the best thing that could ever happen."

The three friends hug in companionable silence and then break apart, content that all is at last right with the world.

"Right," Don declares to Danny, "you go back to your house and grab a few things, and then we can all go back to our place and get you settled in."

Adam looks at his love in mock anger, "Who made you the boss of me?" he pouts. "Those ping-pong bats are coming out to play tonight, and it won't be me who is unable to sit down for breakfast."

"Wait til I get you home, bitch," Don threatens in a less than convincing manner. "Sitting down without pain will not be an option for you for the next month!"

Danny looks at his two close friends, thrilled and amused by their obvious adoration for each other hidden behind those caustic remarks. He leaves the room a relieved man, the sound of a quick slap and a "Oooh that hurts," from a chastened Adam causing him to smile and laugh for the first time in what seemed like forever. Everything was going to be absolutely fine.

A week later, and life has settled into a gentle rhythm. Danny takes to their spare room like a duck to water, has reorganized the kitchen and alphabetized the CDs, his mild OCD causing surprise and endless amusement in his two friends.

Don and Adam are woken up early and suddenly that Sunday morning by the sound of what seems like a gunshot followed by a distressed squawk.

Adam stares in shock at Don and gasps, "He didn't, he wouldn't!"

Don looks out the window, listens to the sound of an approaching siren, and smirks at his horrified other half, "He did, you know."

Adam pulls the comforter over his head. "Two of them," he groans in utter despair, " I cannot put up with two of them, so just shoot me now, somebody, anybody!"

Don collapses on top of his lover in fits of hysterical laughter, and reassures him quickly. "It was just a car backfiring baby, don't get your panties it a twist."

Adam glares balefully at Don, wondering whether justifiable homicide would apply in this case. He then speaks to his beloved in mock aggrieved tones that leave the older man absolutely weak and trembling with utter amusement.

"One, I never wear panties to get in a twist, and two, if you ever do that to me again your sister Stephanie will be getting that unusual pair of earrings she wants for Christmas."

Don feigns shock and crosses his legs.

Adam pushes the offending limbs apart and dives hungrily between them, teeth bared. Things are after all back to normal, and the presence of their best friend two walls away has never stopped them before.

A loud cry of "Oww, that really hurts!" drifts through the whole apartment and wakes a slumbering Danny. He grins to himself, sensing how utterly happy his friends are, feeling privileged to share in their happiness. He experiences a palpable relief that the three of them are free from any physical or mental trauma for the first time in many months.

Danny knows that half the lab is coming over for dinner in a few hours, but he wants to stay safe and warm in his comfortable bed for all eternity. He drifts back into a peaceful sleep, acknowledging that the Three Amigos are back, that no bastard will mess with any of them ever again, and mentally noting that he really must get his best buddies to invest in some form of soundproofing.

THE END.

A/N - Bearing in mind that this is the first time I have written anything, I hope that that was OK. Also not really the end, a related Danny/Lindsay story to follow shortly told from several POV.


End file.
